Wichita ? Aircraft manufacturers here are piloting a program that targets veterans and returning military personnel to fill thousands of aviation jobs left open by an aging work force.

The Armed Forces Support Foundation’s Hire a Hero Program for aircraft workers was launched Monday during a meeting of union leaders and top executives from this city’s biggest plane makers.

The program taps into $10 million in federal funds allocated nationwide for helping veterans find jobs after completing military service. The pilot program in Wichita will train, certify and place transitioning veterans in aerospace manufacturing companies.

It is modeled after a similar program for the construction industry.

This year alone, Wichita aircraft firms need to fill between 5,000 and 6,000 jobs, said Jeff Turner, president and chief executive officer for Spirit AeroSystems Inc.

The average age of aircraft workers in Wichita is 48, and companies expect 40 percent of their work force to retire in the next five years, he said.

“We have a great jewel here in the businesses and the people that we have, but we also have a crisis on our hands and we are going to have to recruit and train replacements plus people to grow,” Turner said.

Kansas companies build more than half of all general aviation aircraft in the nation, he said. Wichita is home to manufacturing plants for Boeing Co., Spirit Aerosystems, Cessna Aircraft, Bombardier Aerospace and Raytheon Aircraft.

About 3,250 aviation-related companies and 36,500 jobs are located in Kansas, he said.

“We believe that this program that we are launching … is truly the answer to many of the problems we seek to resolve,” said Tom Buffenbarger, president of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.

Each year, 225,000 military personnel leave active duty, said Dan Caulfield, president of HQ Group, a private consultancy specializing in creating large-scale recruiting projects. Unemployment among them is twice as high as the general population.

“They are going to be trainable, drug-free and eager to take the jobs you are offering,” Caulfield said.

His father, retired Maj. Gen. Matthew Caulfield, said it was historic to have the CEOs of the aviation industry sit down to resolve the shortage of trained workers.

“You have told the whole country military service has value,” he said.

Raytheon CEO Jim Schuster said the market for his products has never been better, but expressed frustration at the difficulties of recruiting workers who want to relocate to Wichita.

The room erupted in laughter when Matthew Caulfield pointed out that the new veterans – many whom are returning from service Iraq and Afghanistan – had lived in places a lot worse than Wichita.